Read Across America in December

Set a harmonious tone in your classroom this month with books about music.

Music and stories about music are great ways to both build community and transport learners to different and far away places. Read and share stories about music’s unique power to bring people together and to promote change.

For Older Readers

Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow Books, 2015) is about Apple, a Filipino American eighth-grader, who believes she can change her life by learning how to play the guitar.

Discuss and explore:
Have students take a listen to the many Beatles songs in this playlist of music referenced in Blackbird Fly. Then share more about the famous band with read alouds of nonfiction titles like The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny) by Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer or The Beatles by Mick Manning and Brita Granström.

Discuss and explore:
Take advantage of the discussion questions and activities in Candlewick’s Teacher’s Guide and find additional resources, including interviews with the author, on the publisher’s website. Check with your school librarian or music teacher for recommended recordings of Shostakovich’s Symphony No.7 to share with your students.

Engaging Readers of All Ages

After you’ve got kids reading and thinking about the power of music, have them design and create original musical instruments out of items from the recycling bin. Start by investigating the science of sound and look at how different vibrating systems produce musical sounds. Let kids test available materials and sketch ideas for their instruments before they start building. After they build, strike up the band!

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